Air taxi developer AutoFlight makes ‘first inter-city’ eVTOL flight

Air taxi developer AutoFlight is revving up to give fellow electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) plane maker EHang a run for its money in their domestic Chinese market, staging what it called the first inter-city flight ever by a next generation aircraft.

AutoFlight said its demonstration voyage Tuesday covered the 50 km distance between the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai in just 20 minutes, compared to three hours normally required by car. The reason for the time saved? Its Prosperity eVTOL took a direct route over – rather than around – the Pearl River Delta, simulating one of the 100 direct air taxi routes the local government plans to develop as part of its wide-ranging “low-altitude economy” strategy. 

Though Prosperity is designed to transport four passengers and a pilot, the eVTOL’s inter-city jaunt was uncrewed and autonomous. It also marked an important step in the company’s plans to challenge EHang for China’s domestic air taxi activity – and stake out a leading role in other nations.

Operating from  dual headquarters in Shanghai and Ausberg, Germany – the first its initial offices and production center; the second its research and testing facility – AutoFlight is aiming to obtain certification and launch services within the next two years.

The selection of the Shezhen-Zhuhai route for the air taxi demonstration was based on a similarly precise geographical calculation.

AutoFlight notes the area is home to 86 million people, with the airspace used situated amid multiple international airports serving Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Macau. The company wants Prosperity to be the aircraft of choice for passenger, tourism, logistics and emergency services at what it says will be “thousands of vertiports and hundreds of eVTOL airs routes across the Greater Bay Area in southern China.”

AutoFlight has brought its eVTOL along quickly since the first full transition test flight of Prosperity in January 2022. In March of the following year, the air taxi’s 250.64 km flight on a single charge broke the previous distance record of 248 km set by Joby in 2021. Once in operation, the plane will be operated on maximum ranges of 250 km at top speeds of 200 km/h.

In preparing for its post-certification air taxi services in the Greater Bay Area, AutoFlight has teamed up with low-altitude aviation service provider Heli-East. As part of that partnership, the company recently agreed to buy 100 Prosperity eVTOLs for its own operation.